Today’s story is, “Wow! Said The Owl.”
Written and illustrated by Tim Hopgood
Published by Macmillan Children’s Books
Click HERE to read along with me.
Month: May 2020 (Page 1 of 2)
Welcome back to Wednesday Sing-a-long!
Today we will be singing with our hands again to the song, “Tiny Tim.”
We will also be practicing our rhyming words with “A Hunting We Will Go!”
Click HERE to sing-a-long with me.
***StrongStart Update
With the re-opening of schools starting on June 1st, StrongStart will remain closed. Ms. Elizabeth will be back at Cascades to support our teachers. The blog will continue with Wednesday posts so please continue to check back here for updates and Sing-a-long videos with me.
Please comment here or email me if you have any questions.
elizabeth.jung-liu@burnabyschools.ca
On my walks around my neighbourhood and garden, I am inspired by all the beautiful colours that surrounds me.
These are just a few items I found in my garden.
What can I do with these? Look at all the bright colours and all the different shades of greens.
I chose a few of the items and placed them between two pieces of paper. I used a rock to rub and hammer on top of the paper.
I took the top piece of paper off to see what I would find. I love the bright green and orange pigments left behind. I even used the rock directly on top of the flowers and greenery to get more intense colours.
Try making some rubbings/prints using the leaves. I placed a piece of paper over the leaves (back of the leaves facing up to take advantage of the veins) and then used the flat side of a pencil, crayon or chalk to gently rub on the paper, over where the leaves were. It’s like magic watching the image of a leaf appear before your eyes.
What other things could you find to make prints or rubbings: wooden fence, sidewalk, bark of a tree, coins?
Have fun exploring what surrounds you and see what magic appears for you.
Today I will be reading, “I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean.”
Written and illustrated by Kevin Sherry
Published by Dial Books for Young Readers
Click HERE for the story.
Today we will be singing, “Slippery Fish!”
Click HERE to sing-a-long with me.
Update on the “Planting with our Veggie Scraps.”
Have you experimented with your own scraps? The garlic, green onion, carrot and lettuce stump had the most growth! Look at the roots coming out of the carrot! The roots for the garlic and green onions also got longer too. Nothing happened with the squash seeds and the red onion. The potato got a bit stinky so I put it in the compost. However, I found out that if you put the potato and the red onion straight into soil, it will grow better that way. As for the garlic and green onions, I transplanted them into my garden. I will continue to grow the lettuce and carrot on my counter in water.
Making your own Ice Exploration activity. All you need is a rubber container, some of your child’s toys (avoid using “delicate” items) and water. Fill a container with water and the toys. Do not overfill with too much water. Leave at least 2 inches from the top, giving enough space for the water to expand when it freezes.
How are we going rescue these creatures out of the frozen ice? We used paintbrushes, toothbrush, salt, tweezers, eye droppers with warm water and our hands to get them out. It was a lot of team work and patience. It was hard work. The children (in the above photos) spent over a half hour working together to get them out.
Some questions to ask your child during the activity:
I wonder how are we going to get these out?
How did they get stuck in there?
What is happening to the ice?
What happens if we add warm water or salt to it?
Can you see more with a magnify glass, look closely into the ice, “What do you see?”
How does the ice feel?
Asking open ended questions invites children to use their own imagination. There are no rights or wrongs. Let them explore freely with all of their senses, touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing. (with supervision of course!)
Together with your child, have fun exploring and experimenting with ice!
Today’s story is “The Watermelon Seed”, written and illustrated by Greg Pizzoli.
Published by Disney-Hyperion Books
Click HERE to view the story with me.
Information Children:
Cathryn McPhee visited our StrongStart centre regularly providing FREE private, parent coaching sessions. These are still continuing on-line or over the phone. If you are interested in following up on past conversations or have new questions, she is available to support you. It is always invaluable getting a “second pair of eyes/ears” on a topic.
Please email me if you would like to set up a meeting time with her: online or a phone call with Cathryn.
Below is her information if you would like to reach out to her personally.
Remember, “It takes a village to raise a child.”
Cathryn McPhee BScN, MEd
Information Children
SFU, Dis2 #133, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6
Parenting Help When You Need It
778.782.3548
Dearest StrongStart Families,
It has been almost 2 months of staying home, washing our hands and social distancing. Thank you for doing all of these important things to keep those we love around us and those that we don’t even know, safe. These small sacrifices benefits everyone. For those of you who are Essential workers, “THANK YOU!” No words can express the amount of gratitude that I feel for the sacrifices you give selflessly and are making it possible for us to continue to be safe, healthy and fed!
With Love,
Ms. Elizabeth
As promised, here is Wednesday Sing-a-long: Five Little Monkeys!
Click HERE to sing along with me
Before you go, here are some Free on-line programs available to you from our community resources/supports put together by Burnaby Early Childhood Development: http://www.kidsinburnaby.ca/
Save all those vegetable scraps that would normally go into the compost bin. This is a science experiment to see what will grow and what will not. Let’s do this together and keep track of the process.
I have the ends of green onions, part of a potato, carrot tops, seeds from a butternut squash, garlic segments, romain lettuce end cut and a red onion!
I placed them all in their own containers with about a 1/2″ of water.
Change the water every two days and place them by a window where they’ll get some sunlight. Now all you have to do is sit back and keep an eye on them for any changes. Other veggies to try are: the base of a celery stalk, basil, cilantro stem, beet root top, leeks and a pineapple top. I am sure there are more things to try. Experiment!
After only 5 days, I have noticed some big and small changes with the veggie scraps.
If you look closely, there are a few buds appearing on the potato. Nothing is happening with the squash seeds and the red onion roots have gotten longer. On the right, two new lettuce leaves have started sprouting out of the Romain stalk. The green onions have started growing with darker green stems shooting out from the middle. The garlic bulbs were the fastest to grow. The growth is over 4 inches tall after 5 days. Remember to change the water regularly!
If you are trying out this or any of the past activities, please take photos and share them with me via email. I would love to see them!
Have fun and happy planting!
Love Grows…
Love grows,
one by one, two by two, four by four.
Love grows,
round like a circle.
It comes back a knocking at your front door.
This story “Plant a Kiss” is written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by Peter Reynolds and published by HarperCollins Publisher.
Click HERE to view the video.
Dearest Mommies,
Being a Mother is one of the most important jobs ever. I applaud you all. The title is not large enough for all the roles you 
fulfil. You are a protector, nurturer, cooker, teacher, healer, comforter, motivator, multitasker, peacemaker, cheerleader, defender and provider of all things. You love unconditionally and always put your child first.
It is a hard job. It’s not always rainbows and butterflies. You do it selflessly.
You are awesome and I am grateful and honoured to know you.
I wish you a very Happy Mother’s Day!!!
With my Love,
Ms. Elizabeth
I am honoured to work, play and learn on the traditional and unceded territories of the Coast Salish Peoples of Musqueam, Tsleil-Waututh and Squamish First Nations.
